1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a reusable cannula assembly, and in particular to a cannula assembly which can be used in minimally invasive surgical procedures.
2. Background of Related Art
Cannula assemblies are typically used in minimally invasive surgical procedures such as laparoscopic, endoscopic, and arthroscopic procedures. In minimally invasive procedures the operating instrumentation is typically deployed through a narrow cannula inserted through a small opening or incision in the body to reach an interior operating site. In some procedures, for example, abdominal surgery, the body cavity is insufflated with a biologically non-reactive gas such as CO.sub.2. Cannula assemblies are often required to have a seal to prevent egress or entry of fluids from or into the body. Often, the cannula assemblies are provided with a gas port to facilitate desufflation.
From a cost standpoint, it may be desirable to utilize cannula assemblies which can be reused, in whole or in part. Reuse avoids the waste of discarding cannulas and/or cannula assemblies after a single use, but requires cleaning and sterilization of the cannulas or cannula assemblies. Such resterilization is usually done by autoclaving. Autoclaving involves subjecting the object to be sterilized to superheated steam under pressure. To withstand repeated autoclaving, reusable cannulas have typically been fabricated from metals such as stainless steel. However, stainless steel is both electrically conductive and radio-opaque, and generally more expensive than non-metallic cannula.
Accordingly, it is desirable to have a cannula which is electrically non-conducting, radiolucent, and capable of being autoclaved many times, and which is potentially less expensive than a metallic cannula.